Talking books are known, and are a popular item for children, especially young children who are learning or have just learned to read. Typically, a talking book has an integral sound source for producing sounds when actuated by the reader. Such sound sources may be mechanical, such as a bellows actuated reed or whistle, or may be electronic, in which sounds are stored digitally and reproduced electronically. The sound source, whatever its structure, is usually keyed to the story in the book so that the sounds produced bear some relationship to the content of the story. This sound source is not only keyed to the story, it has been previously incorporated into the book so as to become a permanent part of the book. While these books are enjoyable and educational for the child, they are limited in that they are unable to provide a more active role for the child to play when reading the book or having the book read to him or her.
A child's interest and imagination are enhanced when the child is able to take a more active role in reading or listening to a book. To provide a more enjoyable and more educational reading experience, it is desired to provide a novelty item or toy such as a stuffed bear or doll, a book, and a sound source that can be separated, on occasion, from the novelty item or toy. The sound source preferably produces realistic sounds, such as sounds of human speech. This gives a reading novelty item a greater play value and greater educational value. By permitting the sound source to be removed from the novelty item, the reader, particularly a young child, can more actively and more realistically act out the story along with the characters in the book. This gives the child a greater feeling of participation in the reading process, and stimulates the child's interest in reading.
Prior attempts to provide this type of experience to a child reader have been made but have fallen short. Therefore, there is a need for an improved novelty item which provides the required activity for a user. This novelty item must be capable of easily being used in a number of ways while being capable of being constructed in a cost-efficient manner.